Halo: The Siege of Earth
by McFusterCluck
Summary: The Siege of Earth has begun. As a bit of a prequel to Halo:Firestorm, follow the gritty Captain Jon Graham and the veteran Grac 'Lasumee as they go to war over the last human bastion: Earth. Please leave reviews!
1. Chapter 1: Captain

October 19th, 2552, 0830  
Captain Jon Graham  
_UNSC_ _Achilles_  
Over Earth, Sol System

A month and a half. It had been a month and a half since the Fall of Reach. A month and a half since 150 ships were lost in a single day, in a single fight. In no other battle had the price been that steep for such a loss. And Jon Graham had seen it all. He had seen the initial holes in space from the first Covenant ships. He had seen the UNSC fleet rally at Rally Point Zulu. And he saw it all fall apart. It began with the loss of the _Trafalgar, _and the _Leviathan_ following soon after. The UNSC fleet scattered soon after. Jon had barely escaped the battle, with 30% of his crew dead, the MAC guns disabled, and losing nine of ten Marine platoons. All her Pelican dropships were destroyed or damaged, and the Longsword squadrons had barely made it back from battle. Jon had had enough of this war, but he knew the Covenant hadn't.

Jon rolled over groggily. He was up late, but he needed the rest. He was still traumatized from the battle a month before. But he still had his ship, and all the people that mattered to him. He got up and sat on the edge of his bed, and yawned. He got up and walked over to his dresser, and opened it. He slid on the usual captains uniform: a casual grey, with his ribbons and name on it. He stretched and stood idle for a few seconds until a voice came onto the intercom, saying, " Captain Graham, we have your coffee all ready for you, if you're going to come up?"

" Send it down to the galley, please," Jon responded, half asleep.

" Aye aye, sir," the voice, a woman, said.

Jon slipped on his shoes, grabbed his data pad, and walked to the door. It slithered open, and Jon stepped into the hall. The bright white lights blinded him for a second, but he got used to it. The hallway was bland, as usual, with officers and sailors wandering the halls aimlessly. At face value, this looked like another ordinary day, but this day was special to the whole crew. Today was the day when the 30% lost at Reach were replaced, and nine platoons were being stationed on the ship. Also, an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper platoon was being added in too, for fast deployments. The ship would be bustling. Jon greeted his fellow shipmates who saluted him in return. He found the nearest elevator, which opened quietly as he approached. He walked inside, and two men strode inside. " Deck Eleven," Jon said to the voice-controlled elevator. The doors slid closed, and the elevator began to slowly descend.

" Fine day, sir," one of the men said.

" Yes. I guess it is," Jon responded.

" Have you seen the fleet, sir?" the other one asked.

" Not today I haven't. Why?" he asked.

" Admiral Harper should be jumping in from Indus Secundus today. Apparently he and his fleet jumped in a bit late," the sailor explained.

" Define late," Jon asked.

" They were too late to save the planet. Covies already glassed it when he got there," the sailor responded.

" Damn. Did the fleet take any losses?" Jon asked. The sailor merely shrugged. The elevator slowed to a stop, and the doors parted. Two Marines stepped inside. The doors closed, and the elevator swiftly continued down through the ship. As it approached the crew deck, the ship shook a little bit. Jon turned around and looked outside the window. Three _Marathon_-class heavy cruisers popped into view, followed by dozens of frigates, and six destroyers.

" Is that the fleet?" a Marine asked.

" No. That's merely the screen," Jon responded. He was correct.

Over a hundred more frigates followed, and coming in closely behind were four more cruisers. Trailing behind them was a massive carrier, the _Kursk_. The fleet halted formation, and then began picking up speed, going to the refit and rearm stations. The ships had no damage on the hulls.

The doors to the elevator opened, and the men fell out into the galley. Jon strode into the hall, and immediately someone yelled, " Captain on deck!" Everyone in the room halted their activities, and saluted. " At ease," Jon said, with a wave of his hand. Everyone got back to what they were doing.

Jon strode to the food line, and everyone parted so he could get to the front. He picked up a tray, and stepped in front of the first food item. The chef picked up a thin slice of meat with some tongs, and plopped it on his tray. Jon stepped down, and another chef served some mashed potatoes and gravy, followed by some mixed vegetables. Jon grabbed a glass of soda and walked out into the galley again. He spotted a squad of troopers, and walked over to them. He sat down his tray and one of them looked at him.

" Hello, Captain," he said, chewing a mouthful of potatoes.

" Hi, Marines," Jon said, sitting down.

" What are you doing, sitting with us?" a female Marine asked, looking at him.

" After Reach, I've been wanting to bond with my crew. After what happened, I.." Jon began explaining, before being hushed by the Marine.

" I got you, don't worry, sir," she said.

" Thanks, Marine," Jon responded.

" Aren't we getting replacements today, sir?" another Marine asked the Captain.

Jon nodded.

" Anything special?"

" Yeah, actually. We're..," Jon looked around.

" We're getting a platoon of ODST's," he whispered.

Everyone at the table stopped eating.

" ODSTs? Really?" a Marine, named Paulson asked in glee.

" Yeah. We're gonna be the fullest destroyer in the Home Fleet that I know of," Jon said.

" They'll kick ass when the Covies show up," the woman, named Williams, said.

" They won't even have to be deployed, Williams. There are over 400 ships here at any given time, plus 300 ODP's," the Sergeant, a man named Roberts, responded.

" Yeah, that happened at Reach, they said," Paulson said quietly.

" That was different," Jon responded.

" Was it? We lost a lot of ships back there, with all due respect," Paulson asked.

Jon shrugged.

He shoveled down his food and leaned back.

" You troopers seen any combat?" he asked.

Paulson held up three fingers, and said, " Draco III, Arcadia, Sigma."

Williams turned to Jon and said, " Skopje, Charybdis IX, Paris IV, and Sigma."

Two other troopers who had remained silent looked at each other, and then Jon. Their nametags read Edwards and Adams. Adams then said, " Harvest, Eridanus II, Arcadia, Sigma, and Tribute. That goes for both of us."

Roberts took a drink of water and then said, " Harvest, Eridanus, Arcadia, Draco III, Levosia, Madrigal, and Tribute."

Jon nodded quietly. " Yeah. I was at Harvest. The _Heracles_. My dad was the XO. I was a cadet. Worst day of my life at that point. And then I fought battle after battle. And then Reach. By god, what a slaughter. You didn't see the battle, right?" he said.

Nobody in the squad nodded.

Jon sighed. He understood why. Right from the start he knew the battle was lost. He ordered all windows sealed during the battle.

" It was easy at first. Refit stations took the first hits, and then we got off some ship-based rounds and then the Defense Platforms. But the problem began when we realized we were outnumbered 3 to 1. We never won a battle that way, save maybe the first battle for Sigma," Jon explained.

" The Covenant retreated, and began heading for out of system. Then they launched dropships. Then we lost the generators. Then, one by one, ships were lost and lost and lost."

" I had no choice but to order a jump out of system. A few cruisers made it out, and some frigates. But they were heavily damaged. So were we," he concluded.

" Hence all the replacements," Roberts said.

" Yes, that's with the replacements," Jon said.

" Thanks for the talk, sir. We have to get to the barracks though," Roberts responded, rising from his seat. The squad rose, and headed for the stairs. Jon finished his meal, threw the remaining scraps in the trash, and went to the elevator.

He rode it up to the bridge and stepped inside the command deck. The bridge officers looked at him, and carried on with their work. Jon walked to his chair, and slumped down into it. He opened his data pad, and flipped through mail from Fleet Command. They were mostly all reminders, from things like the Cole Protocol, to battle tactics, to a reminder about the award ceremony for Spartan-117, who was on Halo and then destroyed it and a Covenant fleet, apparently numbering over 500 ships. The ceremony was to be conducted on the Orbital Defense Platform _Cairo_. Jon took drinks of coffee as he flipped through the mail, until he got to the last one.

_UNITED NATIONS SPACE COMMAND PRIORITY TRANSMISSION_

_ENCRYPTION CODE: FOXTROT CHARLIE_

_FROM: CODENAME ROBIN HOOD_

_TO: ALL UNSC NAVAL COMMAND OFFICERS_

_DATE: OCTOBER 19TH 2552_

_SUBJECT: _Covenant Fleet

CLASSIFICATION: EYES ONLY, ALL NAVAL COMMANDERS

[START]

All UNSC officers,

At 2000 hours, the UNSC _Titan_ (C-443 HALCYON-CLASS) was on a special patrol by the moon of Charon when a small Slipspace rupture occurred less then a thousand miles away. The _Titan_ maneuvered to greet the ship, when a Covenant CRS-class light cruiser came in via Slipspace. The _Titan_ engaged, getting two MAC rounds out, and using all of her Archer missiles. The cruiser had its shields down, and never stood a chance. The ship never rose its shields, which may indicate that it made a blind jump here. The time for the engagement was from 2000 hours to 2001 hours. We are hoping that the Covenant cruiser didn't make a transmission back to their commanders letting them know there is a human presence here.

I am not yet calling for Winter Contingency, but I am ordering all ships at maximum readiness in case of a Covenant assault. All ODP's must be ready, and all ships too,

/END/

Jon sighed. Earth was going to be under siege soon, but this time humanity may stand a chance. The Spartans, the best ones, were at Earth. Spartan-117, the Hero of Halo, was on an ODP a few million miles away. Spartans 104, 058, and 043 were planetside, helping out with military mobilization.

" Orders, sir?" Lieutenant Wilson asked from his station to Jon's right.

Jon turned to face him. Wilson wasn't a tall man, but he wasn't short either. A small beard was adorn on his face, and he had a scar from above his right eyebrow and down to his right cheek.

" Load the missile launchers. Check the MAC gun's status. Nothing too special," Jon ordered.

" What about me, sir?" Ensign Thomas asked, swiveling around in her chair.

" Get us docked with the _October Breeze_. The replacements are waiting."

" Yes, sir," she responded.

A deep hum began to emit from the rear of the ship. The destroyer began shaking a little bit, and started moving forward, gaining speed. Ships jumped in every minute, but they were mostly frigates. The _Achilles_ lurched to port, and the space station _October Breeze_ came into view. It was a huge ring, that could hold at least a dozen capital ships, and even more smaller ships. It could also be used as an ODST drop point, but it hadn't been used for that purpose yet. The ship slid into a docking station, and slowed to a stop. Multiple clamps clasped onto the ship, holding it in place.

The ships A.I., Washington, popped up, and looked around.

" The replacements will begin boarding in an hour, Captain Graham," he said.

" Thank you. I will get ready."


	2. Chapter 2: Shipmaster

October 19th, 2552, 0100  
Shipmaster Grac 'Lasumee  
High Charity  
Near Installation 04, Soell System

" Yes, Ship Master?" the High Prophet of Mercy said, turning to face the Sangheili.

" Why have I lost contact with my brothers on the _Unyielding Hierophant_?" Grac 'Lasumee asked, rising from his seat.

Mercy, Truth, and the hologram of Regret looked at each other, and then Regret said, " It was attacked."

" No, it was _destroyed_!" Grac yelled, pointing his finger at Regret. A murmur of protest against the Shipmaster rose in the crowd.

" Order! Order!" Truth yelled, silencing the crowd.

" Shipmaster, your behavior is understandable, but unnecessary. All I can say about what happened to..," Mercy began, sounding more nervous as he went on.

" Just answer the question!" a Sangheili Minor roared, before being whisked away by two huge Honor Guards.

" The _Unyielding Hierophant_ was attacked. It was destroyed by the _humans_," Regret spat. A roar of anger surged through the crowd like a tidal wave. Regret chuckled, and looked at Mercy, who simply nodded.

" Over 500 ships were destroyed in the blast. And which humans were responsible, you are asking? Well, it was the _Demons__!" _Regret yelled. The roar turned the crowd into a frenzy. Grac could only slump back down onto the bench, while Unggoy and Jiralhanae screamed around him. The Sangheili in the crowd remained calm, let alone some cries of anger. The Prophet of Truth looked frightened. As though he didn't want the people to know.

" We hope that answers your question, Shipmaster," Mercy said.

" I am honored by your response," Grac responded.

" Are there any more questions?" Truth yelled. Silence came from the crowd.

" Good. This Meeting of the Hierarchs is adjourned," he said, before turning and floating off of the stage. Mercy followed him, and Regret's hologram disappeared.

Grac rose, and walked for the exit. He dodged excited little Grunts and shook hands with Sangheili soldiers. He got outside of the chamber, and met his friend and weapons officer, Frat 'Unfranee. Standing beside him was Jalak Ingramee, the navigation officer.

" How did it go?" Frat asked, following Grac and Jalak down the hall.

" I did not get the answers I wanted. But at least we know what happened," Grac responded, still looking forward.

" What happened?" Jalak asked.

" Demons destroyed the _Unyielding Hierophant_. And I'm assuming they killed my blood brother on the _Ascendant Justice_. The humans will not go unpunished. For when we find their homeworld, it shall be glassed! Like the rest of their planets!" Grac roared. The other Covenant in the hallway began cheering at his words.

" Fear not for that. We must get to the ship, as we have to meet the rest of the Prophet's task force," Frat said.

" What is it that we are gathering for again?" Jalak asked. Grac wiped his bottom right mandible, and exchanged looks with a Jiralhanae talking to a Kig-Yar.

" An artifact from the Gods has been located. We are going with Regret to claim it," he responded.

" Ah. May the artifact bring us closer to the Great Journey!" Frat cheered.

" Yes, may it. The ship should be right up here," Grac said.

The three rounded a corner and went onto a walkway. A large CCS-class battlecruiser floated above, its gravity lift activated.

" What a fine ship it is, Shipmaster," Jalak said, looking up at it.

" Yes. The name _Undaunted_ suits it quite well, does it not?" Grac said. Frat and Jalak nodded simultaneously. They walked into the gravity lift, and they soared up, into the belly of the ship.

" Plot a course for the _Solemn Penance_. It should be already in our database," Grac ordered as he sat down.

" By your word, Shipmaster," Jalak said, tapping a few icons on his screen. The cruiser rumbled to life, and began moving out of the Holy City. It passed small CRS-class light cruisers on its way out, and finally escaped the narrow city and into open space. The High Charity Defense Fleet maneuvered around them. Hundreds of cruisers, destroyers, and carriers were all devoted to escorting and defending High Charity. The _Undaunted _soared through layers upon layers of ships, before finally breaking through.

A colossal CSO-class supercarrier ripped a hole in space and popped into sight. It flew towards the Sacred Ring, and began slowing down over it. Grac stood up when he got a glimpse of the Ring, and bowed his head.

" Entering Slipspace in ten seconds," Jalak said.

The _Undaunted _opened its own hole in space, and jumped through it.


	3. Chapter 3: ODST

October 19th, 2552, 1000 hours  
Staff Sergeant Scott Willis  
UNSC _October Breeze_  
Over Earth, Sol System

Staff Sergeant Scott Willis fell into a group of eager Marines, who were jogging to Docking Bay C3. While he was running, Scott slapped on his ODST helmet, and checked the VISR. It worked fine. The group passed many Naval technicians and officers. Scott looked outside the many windows and saw multiple frigates, and a massive _Halcyon_-class light cruiser docked at the station. The group slowed down when they got to the bay, amid hundreds of other men.

" Sergeant! Over here!" Private Wallace Adams yelled, sticking up his hand. Scott ran over to him, and greeted the rest of his men. They stood idly, waiting for orders. Wallace tapped Lance Corporal Sam Nicholson on the shoulder, and asked, " What ship are we being assigned to?"

" Hell if I know," Sam responded, shrugging.

" I think it's that one, outside," Corporal Jessica Michaels responded, pointing outside to the large black destroyer.

" Most likely," Scott responded.

A group of men walked out from a jetway coming from the destroyer, and went to the small platform against a wall. An officer appeared from the group, and tapped a microphone a few times. Everyone in the room snapped to attention, and the officer waved them to 'at ease.' Everyone relaxed a little bit, and they readied for the coming announcements.

" I am Commander Lance Espinoza, of the UNSC Marine Corps!" the officer said, raising a cheer from the crowd.

" And this is the UNSC _Achilles_, a fine destroyer that saw battle at Reach. Most of you will be going to this ship. Some of you won't. All ODST's, get your gear, and get on board. As for you Marines, Platoons A-I will be boarding this ship. The rest of you will go to the UNSC _Williamsburg_, the _Halcyon_-class cruiser just down that hall," the officer said, pointing first at the destroyer, and then towards the cruiser.

" Dismissed," he said, before walking away. Commanding officers rallied their platoons, and then stepped off to the barracks.

Scott and the ODST's went out of file towards the barracks, passing formations of Marines. Most of the Marines were green, most likely from Earth.

Scott and the other men grabbed their bags and went towards the destroyer, before being stopped by the officer from earlier.

" Name?" he said, holding a data pad.

" Staff Sergeant Scott Willis, 5th Platoon, 7th Company, 4th Battalion, 105th Shock Troops."

" These your men?" the officer responded, tapping a few keys.

" Yes, sir. The LT got killed on Tribute, and we haven't gotten a replacement."

" Alright, you get on board. Follow the signs to the medical examinations."

The troopers walked down the jetway, and felt a small sense of weightlessness. They came to a large opening in the ship, about ten feet high and six feet wide. The jetway was firmly placed on the ship, and air could be heard rushing through the rubber of the jetway. Scott stepped onto the destroyer, and was taken back by its immediately blandness. Unlike the _October Breeze_, this ship was not decorated at all, save for a few plants here and there. Portraits of three captains hung on the wall leading to a small chamber, of past and present captains. A sign that said _'Medical Examinations This Way'_ stood at the entrance of the room. Bright white lights briefly blinded the troops, but their eyesight adjusted quickly.

They walked into the chamber, and took off their helmets, clipping them to their bags. The room was relatively empty, save for a cluster of nurses, and Marines across the room, passed the tables. Scott led the group slowly towards the first table when a nurse stepped in front of him.

" I'm gonna need that armor, trooper," she said, holding out her hands.

" What?" Scott said, setting down his bag.

" Armor. Off," she repeated. Scott shrugged, and pressed a few buttons, releasing air from his armor plating. His chest piece fell off, followed by the armor on his arms and legs. He was in compression pants and a plain white shirt. The nurse collected the armor, and set it in a basket. She snatched his bag, and slid the armor and his bag to some examiners.

" Pants and shirt off. Down to your skivvies," she said, sounding bored.

Scott slid off his pants and shirt, until he was only in boxers. She slid down his clothes to the examiners.

He walked to the next station, where a Marine stood, shaking, as two columns rotated around him, glowing green. A nurse sat at a computer, nodding slowly. The columns stopped, and the nurse yelled, " Next!" The Marine walked down the line. Scott stepped between the columns, and they started rotating. They were blue at first, and then began blinking green. " Just a simple health and drug examination. You're good," the nurse said, before motioning him away.

Scott next sat down on a stool, where a medic stood at a table, preparing needles. He turned his said slightly, and then turned back to face his needle, saying, " ODST, huh?"

" Yes, sir, I am," Scott responded, rolling up his sleeve.

" Gotta give you boys a lotta respect," the medic said.

" Thank you," Scott said back, smiling.

The medic turned around, holding a syringe, with three tubes, filled with liquids. He flicked it a few times, and then jabbed it into Scott's arm, pressing down.

" That's an adrenaline and strength booster," the medic said, before pulling the syringe out. He pressed a button, and the tubes swiveled, and a second shot came into place. Scott felt a sharp pain in his arms and abs, and winced.

" Yep, that's the shot kicking in. Don't worry, this thing has helped Marines take on Brutes in hand to hand," the medic said, before sticking the needle in again.

" This is a perception booster," the medic explained, as he pulled the syringe out.

" And this is an immune system booster," the medic said, before switching tubes and putting in another needle.

" Okay, you can leave now. Your armor should be on that table there," the medic said, pointing at a table where Marines were gathering their gear.

Scott rubbed the area where the needles went in. He walked over to the table, and put on his shirt and pants. When Jessica got done with her exam, she helped Scott get his armor on, and he helped her. They sorted through their bags and waited for the other 30 ODSTs. When they were all done, they walked out of the chamber and to the elevator. As they went down to the crew deck, they saw the Home Fleet protecting all that was left of humanity.


	4. Chapter 4: Contact

October 20th, 2552  
Captain Jon Graham  
UNSC _Achilles_  
Over Earth, Sol System

Jon slouched back in his seat and sighed. Except for the incident the day before, there had been no contact from the Covenant. The fleet was on high alert, and the ODP's were all ready. The replacements were settling in nicely, especially the troops. Most of the naval staff had served on smaller ships, and were just now getting used to the schematics of this ship. The Marines were mostly all green, save for the officers, who had fought. The ODSTs, however, were very solitary, and never ventured anywhere alone. The only places they would go were the gym, armory, galley, and vehicle bays. This ODST platoon was a veteran one, though, and only lost two men on Tribute. The ship was swarming with people, and Jon was happy to see it happening.

" Lieutenant Gyros?" Jon said to the operations officer.

" Yes, sir?" she responded, facing him from her station.

" Run through the announcements for the crew. Lieutenant Phillips, raise FLEETCOM. Get us some orders," Jon said to the two officers. Ensign Nicole Thomas leaned closer to her monitor, and then said, " Huh."

" What is it, Ensign?" Jon asked the young officer.

She swiveled around in her chair, and said, " We have a small whisper, near Io."

" That's strange. Zero in on it, and see if you can find out what it is," Jon responded.

" Aye, aye," she said, tapping a few icons.

" Do you think it's them, Captain?" Lt. Wilson asked.

" I wouldn't be surprised, Wilson," Jon responded.

" But Earth is our most closely guarded secret, it can't be," Wilson said.

Jon got up, and said, " Who else could it be? Admiral Cole is dead. The Spartans are dead. The whole fleet at Reach is gone. It's got to be them."

" Sir, we lost contact with the Slipspace movement," Ensign Thomas said with a sigh.

Jon turned and leaned on the brass railing. He looked around at the fleet, and then said, " Get us by the _Cairo_."

The _Achilles_' engines flared to life, and the destroyer began moving away from the _October Breeze_. The cruiser _Williamsburg_ followed closely.

" I think we're not the only ones who noticed the whisper," Lt. Phillips remarked. He didn't seem to far from correct. Dozens of ships moved to the expected point of exit.

" Radiation!" Nicole yelled.

" Slipspace portals?" Jon asked, wheeling around.

" Yes, sir! Fifteen Covenant capital ships, just outside of ODP range!" Ensign Thomas responded.

The _Williamsburg_ and _Achilles_ weren't near Admiral Harper's battlegroup, who were closing distance on the Covenant.

" Charge the MAC gun, _Washington_. Wilson, get the Archers ready, and arm the Shiva's," Jon ordered.

" Aye aye!" Wilson yelled.

A massive portal opened in space, and a CCS-class battlecruiser popped through, slamming into a frigate, destroying it with no damage to its shields. Immediately, a Super MAC gun fired, and tore through the belly of the ship. Four smaller ship-based MAC's fired, and hit the shields of one of the carriers.

" _This is Fleet Admiral Harper! We are engaging the enemy!_"

" _Negative, Admiral. Form a defensive perimeter around the cluster,_" Admiral Hood responded.

The battlegroup slowed, and began reversing back to the Orbital Platform cluster.

" MAC gun ready, Captain Graham," _Washington_ said.

" Thank you. When we get in range, open up," Jon said.

" Archers loaded, sir," Wilson said.

" Fire when in range," Jon said.

The _Achilles _marked its target: a battlecruiser veering off from the main force. The _Williamsburg_ fired its MAC, and it impacted on the shields of the cruiser. The Covenant ships launched boarding craft, and Longsword fighters engaged them.

" Launch the fighters!" Jon yelled, gripping the brass railing.

Twenty Longsword fighters soared out from the hangars, and engaged the boarding craft. Many docked with the ODP's.

" In range, sir!" Wilson cried.

" Send the bastard to hell! Fire everything!" Jon roared.

The lights all across the ship dimmed, and the decks began vibrating as a slug rocketed through the ship. It shot out, and slammed into the cruiser, hitting its shields. The first shot was quickly followed by a second one, which dropped the shields completely. Two frigates dove in, and fired their main guns. Chunks of armor tore off of the cruiser, and its engines began losing power. At this point, the _Achilles_ and _Williamsburg _had caught up with the rest of the fleet.

Archer missiles flew out of their pods, and they caused multiple explosions along the hull of the cruiser.

" All power to the MAC gun!"

" Charged!"

" Fire!"

The destroyer fired again, and its slugs ripped into the underbelly of the Covenant ship, putting it into a roll. It then exploded.

The rest of the UNSC fleet along with the ODP's wrecked what was left of the small Covenant fleet, save for three cruisers and the two carriers, which were breaking through the atmosphere.

The cruisers split, and went after their own targets.

" That cruiser is targeting us!" Ensign Thomas cried.

" Full power to engines! Get us straight into the nose of that thing!" Jon yelled.

" Sir?"

" Just do it!"

The _Achilles_ picked up speed, and gained more and more until it was at Slipspace jump speed.

" What's the status on the MAC?"

" It's 95% charged, sir," Wilson replied.

" Fire when it's charged," Jon ordered.

The Covenant cruiser fired an energy beam at the destroyer, missing. It fired two plasma torpedoes.

" Torpedoes!" Wilson cried.

" Brace for impact!" Jon yelled.

" Impact in ten seconds..nine..eight..seven..six..five," Wilson counted down, until the UNSC _Iwo Jima_, a frigate, soared in front, taking the hits. Its hull boiled over, and then ceased to be._  
_

" We're on a collision course!" Thomas yelled.

" Good!" Jon yelled, sweat dripping down his palms.

" Impact in four seconds!"

" Fire then dive!" Jon yelled.

The _Achilles _fired its MAC gun twice, then dove underneath the cruiser.

" Reverse thrusters and pull up!"

The destroyer slowed and then rose, pushing the cruiser up, which already had its shields down.

" She's rolling, sir!" Ensign Thomas said, sounding confused. The Covenant ship rolled onto its belly, and a flight of fighters flew over it, and dropped bombs into its belly, causing a massive explosion. The _Achilles _soared off, while the UNSC _Salamis_, a cruiser, finished off the doomed alien ship.

" All Covenant ships.. destroyed?" Thomas said, relieved.

" No, that first carrier vented over New Mombasa," Gyros responded.

" The Chief took out the second one," Phillips said.

" Damn. Prep the ODSTs for a combat drop, ASAP," Jon said, sitting back down.


	5. Chapter 5: Helljumper! Helljumper!

October 20th, 2552  
Staff Sergeant Scott Willis  
UNSC _Achilles_  
Over Earth, Sol System

" There goes that Covie cruiser," Wallace said, pointing outside the viewport, towards the cruiser their destroyer just rolled over in a last minute tactic.

" I still can't believe that worked," Jessica said, scratching her head.

" It's Captain Graham. He's like the other Captain Keyes," Scott replied.

" That's a bit much, Sarge. Keyes saved us from Halo, and the Flood," Sam said.

" Whatever. Hey, look down there!" Scott said, before pointing down. Everyone pressed themselves against the glass, and looked down. A Covenant assault carrier breached the Orbital Defense grid, and was breaking through the atmosphere, over East Africa. A second one came right under the destroyer, and made it shake.

" Christ. _Two_ carriers made it through?" Private First Class Rob McLean remarked.

" Shit, man. I know. New Mombasa's down there, and that's a lotta people," Scott said.

Then, a tiny black figure swooped past the _Achilles, _holding a large oval shaped object. It headed for the second carrier. A _Marathon-_class cruiser tried to assist, but it was disabled by the carrier. Two Longswords came in, and made a gap in the carriers' shields and armor. The figure went inside the carrier, and popped out through the bottom. Then, an explosion ripped the carrier in two, and the figure went towards a small frigate below, the _In Amber Clad_.

" Was that a Spartan?" Wallace asked.

" Musta been. Our armor couldn't survive that long in space," Scott replied.

" Attention, attention. All ODSTs, suit up, get your gear, and get set for a combat drop," Lt. Gyros, their operations officer, said over the intercom.

" Ahh, shit," Corporal Eddie Middleton said, scratching his head.

" You heard the woman! Let's get to the armory!" Scott yelled, starting towards the closest armory. Suddenly, the lights overhead dimmed, and the ship shook twice, with a sharp explosion following it. Three Covenant Seraph fighters flew right against the ship, pursued by four Longswords. A shell struck the rear of a Seraph, and it spun away from its wingmen, and exploded near an ODP. Two Phantoms veered towards the destroyer, and opened up on it with their cannons.

" Fire the 50mm!" an officer yelled at a gun crew.

Three cannons above the deck fired on the two dropships, taking down one and causing the other one to retreat.

Stepping into the armory, the thirty ODSTs were shocked that there were no weapons. Scott looked to his left and saw a small green button. He punched it, and weapons popped out of the stations. Battle rifles, assault rifles, submachine-guns, sniper rifles, shotguns, any human weapon imaginable came out, facing the troopers.

" Woah," Wallace said, rushing for an MA5B. He picked it up, and slapped a magazine into it, and slid back the bolt.

Scott and most of the ODSTs grabbed M7S submachine-guns and M6C suppressed pistols. Scott slapped an assault rifle on his back, slid the pistol into his holster, and shouldered his SMG. He put on his helmet, and flicked the VISR on and off. Sergeant Timothy McNamara and Lance Corporal Harriet Robertson, the platoon snipers, stood outside the armory, loading their snipers and tuning their scopes.

" Everyone got their gear?" Scott yelled.

" Oorah!" the troopers yelled.

" Let's get to our pods then!" he yelled, running down the hall, towards the drop bay. Thirty open pods were about the deck, with a map in the middle of the room. Scott stepped to it, and said, " Lt. Gyros, this is Sgt. Willis, ODSTs. We're in the bay, what are our orders?"

" Stand by, Sergeant," Gyros responded.

The ODSTs went to their pods, and strapped in their weapon

" Let's fucking do this!" Wallace yelled, bouncing in his seat.

" We're going to hold for a few minutes while the _Say My Name_ drops their ODSTs, Sergeant," Lt. Gyros said.

" Roger," Scott said, bringing up a map of New Mombasa. The first carrier, named _Solemn __Penance_, sat by the space tether, deploying dropships into the city.

" Open street maps with FOF tags," Scott said to the computer inside the map.

The ships A.I. popped up, and said, " Okay, Sergeant Willis. Spartan-117 is on the ground, just so you know."

" Thanks, Washington."

The map flipped to a top down view. Much of the city was under Covenant control, but they kept in a very self contained area. UNSC forces were constantly moving into the city, and pushing back the Covenant. A large vehicle, a Scarab, made multiple UNSC tags go dark. Spartan-117 moved very quickly, until he got to the Scarab.

" Standby, Willis. The _Say My Name_ will be dropping momentarily," Gyros said.

Washington brought up the original map of the city, and said, " Their ODSTs shall be landing on the carrier."

" It's weird that they wouldn't choose us," Scott remarked.

" The _Say My Name_ was not engaged during the battle," Washington said.

Suddenly, dozens of Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicles appeared above the carrier. A cluster of six pods veered off of the main force, and went towards the ONI headquarters.

" Oh no," Washington said, his figure shimmering.

" What is it?"

" The carrier is commencing an in-atmosphere jump. That will kill most if not all of the ODSTs," Washington explained.

" Damn it!" Scott yelled.

" Okay, Sergeant, you still there?" Gyros asked over radio.

" Yes, ma'am," he responded.

" Alright then. We're going to move over London, United Kingdom. You're gonna drop in there," she said. The ship, at that, began moving forward, and then gained speed. After about thirty seconds, the ship slowed to a stop.

" Get to your pod, Sergeant," Washington said.

Scott wheeled around, and ran to his pod, slamming himself down in the seat. Wallace was asleep in the pod next to him. The doors closed on all of the pods, and they swung around. Twenty-nine helmets popped up on screens in Scott's pod. His heart raced, and his brain ran through happy thoughts. The chances of not surviving entry was high, but Scott rarely ever lost anyone to that.

" Troopers! We are green and very, very mean!" he yelled.

Three beeps came from his pod, and he dropped from the bay very quickly. The other pods shot down too, many passing him.

" What's our target, Sergeant?" Jessica asked.

" London! Covies took it, I guess," Scott responded.

" At least we knocked out their fleet," Timothy remarked.

" I guess," Scott responded.

" I broke through cloud cover, passing the elevator now," Wallace said.

" Okay, green light! Pop your chutes when you break through the clouds!" Scott yelled, hitting the button for his chute. Wallace, Sam, and a few others below him popped their chutes, and they slowed down immediately. Scott looked down, and saw the massive metropolis of London sprawled below them. Suddenly, his chute kicked in, and his face slammed into his helmet.

" Alright, guys. I got a drop zone. It's that bridge right in front of Big Ben," Scott said. Everyone nodded.

A flight of Phantoms flew below him, attacking fleeing civilians.

" Touchdown in ten seconds!" Wallace yelled.

" Five!" Scott yelled.

As the ground got closer, time slowed. Scott was able to see the individual faces of people on the bridge running. Then, he made contact with concrete. His heart pounded, but he was alive. A buzz sounded, and the door to his drop pod blew off. Scott grabbed his SMG and dashed out into the outdoors. Three Banshees shot at civilians, and two Marines with rocket launchers tried to take them down. Wallace rushed out of his pod, and shouldered his weapon. Civilians ran from all directions, screaming.

" Go go go!" Scott yelled at them, pushing them behind him.

" My son is back there!" a woman yelled, stopping.

" We'll get him ma'am! Just get back!"

Scott rushed forward, and took cover behind a car. Jessica slammed down in front of him, and she popped out of her pod. She got next to Scott and yelled, " What are we supposed to do, sergeant?!"

" Hold the fucking Covenant back!"

" Roger that," she said, before moving forward, amid plasma fire.

Scott's visor began fogging up, and he realized that it was raining. He got up and looked for a target. He saw a short orange Grunt poke his head out. Scott fired a burst from his SMG and got the alien in the face. A group of three Marines advanced from behind the ODSTs, towards Big Ben. As they began to pass a bus, a massive blue Elite stepped out, and threw one of the Marines over the bridge. The other two stepped back, and fired their rifles, draining the shields. The Elite grabbed one by the neck, and slammed his face into the bus, his brains exploding out the back. The last Marine tried to retreat, before the Elite drew an energy sword and stabbed the Marine. He dropped the human and began advancing towards the ODSTs, cutting down civilians. Scott leaped out from cover, pumping a full magazine into the alien. The Elite laughed, and continued. Scott slapped in a new magazine and fired again, only to get punched in the face by the Elite. Scott's SMG was a few feet away, so he grabbed his pistol and fired. The Elite ignited his sword and was about to jab Scott when a large bullet tore through its head, dropping it to the ground. Scott got up, and saw Sgt. McNamara wave, aiming a sniper rifle.

" Portable MAC gun, bitch!" LCpl. Robertson yelled, pumping her fist in the air.

Scott snatched up his submachine gun and advanced, his men following. They found a little boy under a car, and brought him back to the woman.

As Scott got back to his platoon, McClean yelled, " Wraiths! Down the road!"

Scott leaped onto a car and saw a column of Wraith tanks coming down the road, bloodthirsty.


	6. Chapter 6: Landfall

October 20th, 2552  
Grac 'Lasumee  
_Undaunted_  
In Slipspace, Nearing Sol System

" Jalak, what is the status of the Hierarch's fleet?" Grac asked.

" Limited contact. However, they have engaged the humans at this planet," Jalak spat.

Grac growled. The humans had been an honourable opponent, and had stood firm at every single planet the Covenant had glassed. He himself had been attacked by Demons, on Reach. From the humans that Grac had captured, they said that Reach was the humans last major stronghold, next to their homeworld.

_The homeworld.._ Grac thought.

" Jalak, may this world be the humans' homeworld?"

" There is a chance."

" Frat, prepare the stealth drive for when we exit Slipspace," Grac ordered.

" Yes, Shipmaster," Frat responded, tapping a few icons.

" How long until we get there?"

" About ten minutes, Shipmaster," Jalak responded.

" Has there been any word from the other Hierarchs?"

" The Prophet of Truth has sent a fleet to this planet. They shall arrive in about two and a half hours," Jalak said.

Grac didn't like Truth. Truth had been pressing the Jiralhanae forward in the ranks of the Covenant military ever since the Battle of Reach. The Brutes were even given full control of the Battle of New Alexandria, but Regret ordered the Sangheili to move in when Demons began wresting control of the city. Grac himself fought, and was knocked out by a demon, codenamed Six.

" Ready the plasma torpedoes, Frat. Rimas, get the ground troops ready," Grac said. Rimas 'Orapamee, the Field Marshal on the ship, nodded, and left the bridge.

" If this is in fact the human homeworld, we may not have a chance," Frat said, looking up.

Grac sighed, and said, " Then may we take many down with us."

Jalak said, " We have a link coming in. It's the High Prophet!"

Grac rose from his seat and said, " Open it."

The screen at the front of the bridge turned on, and the Prophet of Regret popped up on screen.

" Shipmaster 'Lasumee! Where are you?!" Regret said.

" We are in Slipspace right now, nearly coming out, my Prophet," Grac replied, bowing.

Regret sighed, and said, " The planet is highly defended. It is Earth. The human homeworld."

" With respect, I thought it was so," Grac responded.

Regret nodded, and coughed. " Hundreds of ships. More of their damned defense platforms than the last planet," he spat.

Grac growled a little bit.

" Go to New Mombasa. My fleet is destroyed. I have barely escaped to another sacred ring," Regret said.

" By your word," Grac said.

" For the Great Journey!" Regret said, closing the link.

Grac turned around and sat down.

" Leaving Slipspace. Stealth drive is up," Jalak said.

" Get ready," Grac said, gripping his seat.

A hole in space opened, and the _Undaunted _slipped into the Sol System. It immediately went invisible. Hundreds of human ships littered the area around the large blue planet. There were at least two dozen of their powerful cruisers, and nearly three hundred orbital stations. The _Undaunted_ weaved between three tiny frigates, and dodged a smoldering piece of what used to be a Covenant ship.

" By the Gods," Grac muttered, as they passed the broken hull of a carrier.

" Jalak, are there any lifepods?" Frat asked the navigation/communication officer.

" Scanning," Jalak said, looking at his screen.

" There is only one. Two brothers, and a few Grunts," he finally said, optimism in his tone.

" Get them," Grac said.

The cruiser slowed down near the wreckage. The pod was pulled into the hangar. The _Undaunted _continued on its way.

The two Elites from the carrier came into the bridge, bloody and battered.

" What happened here?" Grac asked as soon as they came in.

" Human planet. Too many ships. The Prophet made it through. We almost did, but the Demon brought a bomb onto our ship and detonated it," a Minor said.

" Is this truly what happened?" Grac asked the other Elite, a Zealot. The Zealot nodded.

" Get to the troop bay. You'll have your revenge on the surface," Grac said, turning his chair around.

" Breaking through the atmosphere," Jalak said.

The _Undaunted_ broke through the high clouds, and passed the shattered New Mombasa Orbital Elevator. Gunfire came up from the city, towards some Phantoms.

" Are those ours?" Grac asked.

" Yes, but they are Brutes."

Grac snarled. He hated Brutes. They held no honor, and would fight like savages.

" Go by that field," he ordered.

The cruiser swooped down, and deactivated the stealth drive. The gravity lift activated, and troops began dropping down. Phantoms came out of the hangar.

" The ship is under your control, Jalak," Grac said, walking off of the bridge, towards the gravity lift. He grabbed two plasma rifles and holstered them. Grac passed multiple Elites rallying their squads and had them follow him to the hangar. He stepped into the gravity lift and floated down, into the open air.

It was very hot outside, and mildly humid. Huge skyscrapers stood burning miles away, and gunfire came up from the ground. Dozens of ground troops had secured the landing zone already, and were awaiting orders.

" Shipmaster!" a Minor yelled, snapping to attention. Everyone stood at attention. Grac waved them to at ease.

" My fellow Covenant! Our Hierarch has retreated to the safety of another Sacred Ring, and has left it up to us to hold the city until Truth arrives. Now, fan out, and kill the Heretics without remorse!" Grac yelled, raising his fist into the air. The troops cheered, and then began moving out. Grac himself fell into a group of six Sangheili and a dozen Grunts and went down the hill, towards close gunfire. They went through a huge hole in the wall surrounding the wildlife preserve and followed the sound of Spiker fire.

" Ready for anything, warriors," Grac said, drawing his energy sword. The warriors in his group took out their rifles and readied for action.

They rounded a corner and saw three Brutes and two dozen Grunts exchanging fire with some humans.

" On my signal.. Go!" Grac yelled, rushing into the plaza, tossing a plasma grenade at the humans. The Brutes turned their heads to face the Sangheili warrior, and continued shooting at the humans.

" Grenade! Move!" a human screamed.

The humans scrambled away, and the grenade went off, throwing two into the air. Grac slammed himself against a slab of debris as his Elites engaged the humans.

" What is the situation, Brute?!"

" We could have handled it, Sangheili," a golden-armor clad Captain spat.

" Watch your tongue, or I may just cut it off," Grac snarled.

" Ugh. We landed to mop up the Hierarch's mess. We encountered these humans, and have been stuck here for an hour! I have lost six fellow pack brothers already!" the Captain yelled, reloading his Spiker.

" Hmph," Grac mumbled, rising.

" Charge, my brothers! Show these savages how the Sangheili fight!" he yelled, rushing forward. His men followed, firing wildly. Two humans popped up, and fired bursts at the Shipmaster, chipping at his shields. Grac ignited his sword and leaped over the barrier they were hiding behind, landing between them.

" Oh, shit!" one yelled, firing wildly at the huge alien. Grac lazily swung his sword, bisecting the defiler. The second human dropped their weapon, and scrambled for safety when a Zealot came from nowhere and kicked the human in the side, making him fly into a wall, cracking bones. The Zealot fired three shots from his rifle, finishing the human. Four remained, and they fell back, behind a destroyed tank.

" Hold position!" one yelled.

" This is pointless, sir!" another responded.

Grac smiled, and began walking to the tank, recharging his shields. His fellow Elites followed, with the Grunts behind them. The Brutes moved forward, all leaping onto the tank, baring their teeth at the frightened humans. The grunts formed a wall, aiming their plasma pistols at them. The humans backed against a wall, shakily pointing their primitive weapons. Grac stepped onto the tank and jumped down in front of them. The Sangheili soldiers began chuckling among themselves.

" Which one of you... heretics is the leader?" Grac said, his voice vibrating the ground slightly.

The humans looked among each other, and then a tall woman rose her hand. Grac leaned forward and grabbed her arm, yanking her towards him. He held her up high and turned her around, showing her off to the Brutes, who roared in approval. He turned the human to face him and he asked, " What is your name?"

" Me... Melissa..." she whispered.

" Melissa? What an... ugly name," Grac spat.

" Not as ugly as you, Split-Lip," she snarled.

The Elites roared with laughter. Grac chuckled, and through her at the ground, smashing her bones. She was still alive, and screamed. Grac rose his foot, and stomped on her head, crushing it. The other humans gasped. Grac stepped back, and said, " Why do you continue to fight?! We are on your homeworld! You do not stand a chance!"

A man lowered his weapon and said, " The human spirit can never be conquered."

Grac nodded slightly. " You realize you will die today, correct?" he asked.

All three of the humans nodded. Grac shook his head slowly and closed his eyes.

" You.. humans are the most honorable opponents my kind have fought. I shall give you that," he finally said.

The Brutes and their Grunts let out yells of protest.

" Why did you bother telling us that, if you're just going to kill us anyways," a human said.

" Because it is something that only my kind can admit. These Brutes? They have no honor, and are just tribal warriors," Grac sneered, glaring at the Brute Captain.

A human in the back dropped his rifle, and stepped forward. " May I tell you something, Elite?" he asked.

" Make it quick, Heretic."

The human stepped closer, and then quickly drew his own pistol and pointed it at Grac. Grac leaned back, missing the bullet, and then leaned forward, thrusting his sword into the humans abdomen.

The other Covenant let loose with fire, slaughtering the remaining humans. Grac jumped back over the tank, and rallied his men into a crowd.

" That stupid human!" a Minor yelled.

" Heretic! Heretic!" a Grunt danced.

The three Brutes pressed through the crowd, and the Captain stood facing Grac.

" You better watch what you say, Grac. It'll bite you in the ass someday," he snarled.

" How do you know my name, savage?" Grac fired back.

The Brute crossed his arms and said, " It's obvious who you are. You are hated among my people."

Grac chuckled and said, " Hmph. Good."

" That is not something to be proud of, 'Lasumee."

Being called by your last name was one of the greatest measures of disrespect for a Sangheili. Grac stepped forward, and roared, " Never, ever, call me, or ANY of my brethren by their last name again, or I will personally tear you to pieces and parade them through the Holy City!" The Brute looked unfazed.

" Let's get out of here," the Captain finally said, walking away. His men followed.

" Well handled, Shipmaster!" a Zealot cheered. The other Elites roared with approval.

Grac smiled, and led the way towards more gunfire.


	7. Chapter 7: The Black Cat

October 20th, 2552  
Captain Jon Graham  
UNSC _Achilles_  
Earth, Sol System

" Ensign Thomas, report!" Jon yelled, rocking in place as the _Achilles _was hit by a small plasma bolt. The woman turned in her seat and yelled, " Engines are at 63% power! Little damage to armor." Jon turned to Lt. Wilson, who immediately yelled, " MAC guns are in perfect condition, Archer pods are at 75% capacity. One Shiva has been spent. Three Longswords down." Jon nodded, and pointed outside the viewport towards a final Seraph fighter. " Blast that thing with a MAC round!" he yelled. " Aye, sir!" Wilson yelled. The destroyer shuddered, and two slugs shattered the fighter. The entire bridge crew cheered, and began exchanging high fives. Jon smiled, and said, " Lieutenant Gyros? Have the galley send up their finest champagne. And let me tell the crew of our victory." The officer smiled and typed some orders into the computer, then handed a transmitter to Jon.

" Attention crew of the _Achilles_! We just kicked the Covenant bastards off our doorstep! Let this day be remembered for us forever, when we faced a force that fought valiantly, but could not face our combined arms. The Covenant are a force that can never defeat humanity, as there will always be a million more of us ready to fight. Keep on your toes though. Graham out."_  
_

" Good speech, sir," Lt. Phillips said. Jon nodded. A man came from the back of the bridge, holding three bottles of corked champagne. The man strode over and set the tray on the small table next to Jon, and saluted. " Why don't you stay up here, sailor?" Jon asked. The sailor shrugged and sat on the deck. Jon pulled a cork from the first bottle, and asked, " Did you bring glasses?" The sailor got up and walked to the back of the bridge, bringing back a cart of champagne glasses. Jon poured twenty-six glasses, for everyone on the bridge. Jon had just barely taken a sip when Ensign Thomas nearly fell out of her chair. She dropped the glass, it breaking on impact with the deck. She quickly swallowed the champagne and began shaking.

" What's going on, Ensign?" Jon asked, taking another drink. She merely pointed at her screen, speechless. Jon instantly knew what was happening.

" How many ships and of what class?!" he yelled, standing up.

" Over four hundred, and rising. Wait... make that five hundred," she replied.

" Damn it! Get the weapons hot again, the fight's not over yet," Jon said, leaning on the railing.

" I'm going to get us with the rest of the fleet. They seem to be noticing the Covenant too," Ensign Thomas said. The destroyer moved towards the massive cluster of gathering UNSC ships. " Estimated time of slip-in?" Jon asked. " About twenty seconds, sir," Nicole responded. " Damn it. Is the MAC charged, Wilson?" Jon asked. Wilson nodded. " As soon as they get in system, open up," Jon said.

A group of five _Marathon_-class cruisers moved up, supported by two dozen frigates and four destroyer. Two carriers began reversing behind the orbital grid, and launched their entire air armada. The Orbital Platform's turned to face points of entry, and primed their shots.

A huge hole opened in space, and a small frigate jumped in, followed by a wall of slightly larger ships, like destroyers, corvettes, and light cruisers. Then, behind them, came the massive battlecruisers and assault carriers. The UNSC fleet immediately fired a salvo of MAC rounds, with the Super MAC's going between the ships. Millions of Archer missiles left their pods, and soared at the Covenant fleet. The ODP rounds hit first, with three hundred 3000-ton rounds slamming into the Covenant fleet, impacting two hundred, and shattering two hundred. The ship-based MAC's hit next, hitting at 899,377 meters per second. They destroyed six cruisers, and a carrier.

The _Achilles_ fired its MAC gun, rocking twice as the slugs left the ship. The rounds soared between a human corvette and a few frigates, into open space. The slugs hit a frigate, tearing it from front to back. The Covenant fleet responded with a salvo of deadly plasma torpedoes. The five cruisers and their escorts, marked on the battlemap as Battlegroup Y, weaved around the salvo, and fired their guns. An assault carrier responded with a burst of a few dozen torpedoes, impacting on the lead two cruisers, boiling their hulls over. The MAC rounds hit, taking down the shields of the carrier. Two battlecruisers moved in front of the carrier, taking the smaller rounds from the frigates.

" This is strange," Jon said. " What is it, sir?" Lt. Phillips asked. " If these were Elites, we would have already been losing heavily. Can someone run a scan on the crew composition of the Covenant fleet?" Jon replied. " On it, sir," an officer down the bridge said. He looked at his screen, and said, " That's strange. The vast majority of the fleet is crewed by Brutes. There's a small contingent of about three dozen ships manned by the Elites." " Thank you, officer," Jon said.

The Elite ships moved further away from the Brute one, and dipped lower than the Brutes ones. There were two dozen battlecruisers, four carriers, and eight destroyers. They were engaged by a cluster of a dozen _Charon_-class frigates. The frigates were no match. The Elite fleet slowed, and soon, two dozen more Elite crewed ships came in, right under the current ones. The entire Covenant fleet fired again, this time with devastating effect. More than two dozen torpedoes impacted each of the cruisers in Battlegroup Y, destroying all but one. The escorts immediately moved to cover the lone cruiser. Five frigates dove in on the Elite flagship, getting sliced in half by a projector beam coming from it. Two destroyers swung in front of the cruiser, taking hits from more torpedoes, shattering their hulls. Thirteen more frigates charged the main Brute line. They also never stood a chance against more than three hundred ships. The remaining escorts began to fall back to the main human line. The final cruiser, the _Indomitable_, was left alone, firing its lone MAC gun. Its engines gave out, and tried to flare back to life. A Brute cruiser began speeding up, and went on a collision course with the _Indomitable_. It raised its shields fully, and slammed into the nearly broken human cruiser, finishing off the doomed ship.

" Battlegroup Y is down! I repeat, Battlegroup Y is gone!" a fellow captain yelled.

All across the fleet, grim faces fell upon every captain. Losing five cruisers in a matter of a few seconds was something unheard of so far. Earth was going to be a long, bloody siege, just like Harvest. The _Achilles_ moved forward, and fired its MAC, hitting a frigate. Two corvettes pulled alongside the destroyer and fired light 280mm rounds, draining the shields of the frigate. Small blue comets emerged from the frigate, and swerved towards the destroyer. The frigate turned so its side was facing the _Achilles_, and fired a full broadside of small energy beams. The _Achilles_ shook as it was hit by no more than three of the torpedoes.

" Armor is at seventy percent capacity! Decks Y and Z are slightly compromised!" Lt. Wilson reported immediately.

The Orbital Platform's fired again simultaneously. The rounds hit again, shattering over a dozen cruisers and six carriers. The fleet opened up again, this time gaining speed.

A massive CSO-class supercarrier sat smack dab in the middle of the Brute fleet. It fired a large beam, and sliced the cruiser _Thunder_ in half. Two _Paris_-class frigates moved in towards it, firing their light MAC guns. The supercarrier fired the beam again, and cut through the two frigates. It fired again, and destroyed the carrier _Saipan_.

" Prep a Longsword armed with a Shiva!" Jon shouted, gripping the arms of his chair.

" Aye, sir!" Wilson responded.

The supercarrier moved forward, launching a salvo of torpedoes.

" Fire the MAC!"

The two rounds dropped the shields of the carrier in a spot, and then missiles hit.

" Longsword ready!"

" Launch it," Jon said.

The Longsword soared out of a hangar, into open space.

" Send it right under the shields of the carrier," Jon ordered.

The fighter flew right at the carrier, amid a massive Covenant fleet. A light cruiser exploded, narrowly missing the fighter. The fighter cut its engines as it landed on the carrier. The shields came back up, covering the Longsword.

" Detonate the nuke," Jon commanded.

" Aye aye," Wilson replied.

A bright blue light enveloped from the supercarrier, shattering the shields, and then boiling over the hull, disintegrating the ship. The blast covered six cruisers and a dozen destroyers, destroying them too. The Elite-crewed ships broke through, and soared towards New Mombasa. The Brute fleet began turning around, and going past the Moon.

" Are they retreating, Ensign?!" Jon asked.

Nicole nodded.

Jon relaxed slightly. He closed his eyes for a second, when suddenly Nicole yelled, " Sir! The Brutes have opened fire on the Elites!"


	8. Chapter 8: London

October 20th, 2552  
Staff Sergeant Scott Willis  
London, England  
Earth, Sol System

Scott climbed on top of the rolled over bus and stood alongside PFC. McLean. " How many?" Scott asked. McLean pulled away from his binoculars and said, " At least five. They've been holding though. Kinda weird." Scott held up his SMG with one hand against his shoulder, and said, " Do we have any rockets? Any air support?" McLean shrugged. Then, the distinct whine of a Warthog engine came from down the road. Two Warthog troop transports flew down the road, the drivers throwing up the E-brakes. The Hogs slid to a stop, and two Marines piled out of each. They began reaching into the back of the Hogs and throwing out weapons. Scott jumped down, and strode over to the Warthogs. His platoon was moving destroyed cars and other pieces of debris to use as cover. An officer sat in the passenger seat of one of the Warthogs, reading a datapad. He glanced up, and said, " Ah. ODSTS. Good." Scott saluted and said, " These rockets?" The officer looked back towards the weapon pile and said, " Yes. A few should be in there, with some other infantry weapons." Scott nodded and walked away.

" Middleton! Adams! Nicholson! Grab rockets, and get on the bus!" Scott yelled at the three. " Yes, sir!" they replied, running past him, grabbing rocket launchers. " Each of you get six rockets. Don't miss," Scott said. The three got on top of the bus, and waited for Scott to give the order to fire. Scott got up beside them, and said, " Fire!" The three fired simultaneously. McNamara let off a few shots with his sniper, killing a few ground troops. The Wraiths sprung to life, and began floating down the road. The rockets soared into them, destroying two. The Wraiths fired, their mortars flying overhead. The Marine officer rallied the regular troops, and had them began moving down the road. The Marines let out a battle cry, and opened fire on the tanks. A group of five Marines jumped onto a tank and began trying to open the hatch. Two groups of ten Covenant rushed past them, and killed the Marines. The ODSTs fired again, destroying the tank. The remaining tanks located the ODSTs, and fired.

" Jump! Jump!" Scott yelled. Everyone jumped off of the bus, when the mortars hit. The bus exploded, throwing shrapnel everywhere. Scott got up, and looked around. Everyone was on the ground, rolling slightly, except for Wallace, who was still. " Wallace!" Scott yelled, running over to him. " Come on man, wake up," he cried. He took off Wallace's helmet, and saw a massive piece of metal through the back of the helmet and his head. " Damn it," Scott whispered, closing his eyes. His ripped off his dogtags, and stuffed them in the pocket above his right breast. He rose, and ran out, his ODSTs following. He leaped onto the closest tank, anger flowing through his head, and ripped off the hatch, looking down. A colossal Brute sat in there. It roared, and jumped up, throwing the trooper off of the tank. While in air, Scott saw the Marines advancing on the tanks, destroying them one by one. Scott hit the ground, knocking the wind out of him. The Brute leaped out, standing in front of Scott. It threw its arms out, and roared again. Three Marines stepped forward, and began shooting the ape. The Brute charged towards Scott. It snatched him up, and held him at the throat. " You stand no chance. No chance when the Schism begins," it snarled. " Stop... talking about yourself," Scott choked, before grabbing his pistol, placing it at the Brutes' temple, and firing. The Brute slammed down on the ground.

Scott rushed forward, picking up his SMG, and caught up to the other troops. The Wraiths had formed a wall, with Covenant troops filling the gaps. " We can't get past!" the Marine officer cried. Suddenly, three AV-14 Hornets soared over the bridge, and opened fire with missiles.

" _This is Viper Actual, we're here to provide air support for you boys,_" the pilot of the middle Hornet said. The three opened up with their machine guns, shredding the Covenant infantry. The Wraiths spun and tried to shoot down the gunships, but they were blown up by the missiles. " That's our queue!" Scott yelled, leading the humans forward. A car exploded, dazing an Elite. It fired blindly, before getting hit in the back of the head by Sam. The Hornets began moving forward. The smaller troops began retreating, while the Elites and Brutes tried to maintain order. Scott primed a grenade, and threw it in between two Brutes. " Grenade!" one cried, jumping for cover. The 'nade went off, killing the two Brutes, and causing shimmers on the Elites' armor. Slowly, the line began to crack, and soon the Brutes were in full retreat. The Elites cursed them, and began moving backwards, firing all the way. Eventually, under the weight of three Hornets and dozens of screaming humans, they too were running for their lives.

" _Attention ground troops, we've been given a new location to go to. You're welcome for the support, but you're on your own for now. Viper Actual out,_" the Hornet pilot said, before turning and leading the trio down the Thames River. The two transport Warthogs moved up, Marines in the back. The rain was pounding on the ground at this point, and the remains of trees swung in the wind. " I think they've all gone," the Marine officer, Lieutenant Neeson, said. He stepped in front of the formation of men and began leading them off of the bridge. Scott and the ODSTs followed, looking around for any possible ambushes. A crack of lightning illuminated everything, including Big Ben. McNamara flipped on his VISR and glared at the tower. He saw the faint red outline of a Jackal sniper, scoping in on Neeson.

" Sniper! Get down!" McNamara yelled, throwing himself against a car. The Jackal fired a Beam Rifle. The projectile ripped through the head of the Marine officer, and went into another Marines arm. The LT flew a few feet to the right, his head vaporized. The Marines looked at where his left arm used to be, and shrieked like a Banshee. Blood spurted out of the stump like a fountain, while two medics rushed forward to him. McNamara pulled down the bipod on his sniper, and placed them in the broken door of the car, the barrel barely making a glint through the whole car. Robertson pressed herself next to him, and scanned the area for more snipers with her rifle. " Sarge, we need suppression on Big Ben in ten seconds," McNamara whispered. Scott nodded, then announced, " Suppression in five! Four! Three! Two! One! Suppressing!" The entire group of humans turned and opened fire on the clock tower, while two .50 caliber shots rang out above them. The Jackal was hit in the torso and then the head. Its lifeless body fell forward, into the river.

" Move up!" Scott yelled. The force moved fast, wiping out a few straggler Grunts. Soon, they approached where the Covenant were coming from, to find the Grunts killing themselves, and the Elites holding a line. The Brutes were smack in the middle, with their Spikers and Brute Shots primed. McNamara and Robertson fired, taking down two Elites with headshots. The rest of the ODSTs opened up, and taking cover. The Marines tossed grenades, and fought ferociously. Then, the two Warthogs maneuvered around the charred cars, and the Marines in the back started shooting. Scott jumped up, and scoped in on an Elite. He fired a burst from his gun, taking down its shields. He fired again, killing the alien. The Brutes cut down three Marines, and began slowly falling back, towards a Phantom that began descending. The few Grunts began surrounding the Brutes, while the Elites stayed forward, facing the humans.

An Elite began backing up to grab a new rifle, and accidentally bumped into a Brute. " My apologies," the Elite said instinctively. The Brute raised his arm, and brought down his hand upon the Elites face. The Elite reeled back, and snarled, " What was that for, imbecile?!" The Brute said, " Shut up, Sangheili." The Elite pounced forward and punched the Brute. A Brute Captain stepped forward, and said, " Men! Focus on the real enemy!" The brawl continued, until a few Brutes opened fire on the Elites. The Elites rolled to cover, and with superior weaponry and tactics, killed all of the Brutes except for the Captain, who had dropped his Brute Shot at that point. " Get in the Phantom, Brute," the Elite leader growled, stepping into the gravity lift. His Elites followed. The Captain dodged shots from the humans, and then stepped into the lift. The Phantom lifted off, and soared up, passing a CCS-class battlecruiser emerging from the clouds above. " Oh, shit," McLean muttered. " Is she gonna glass us?!" a Marine cried. " I hope to God it's not," Scott responded. Two Pelicans soared up behind the humans, and landed. The ramps parted, and twenty Marines rushed out of the interiors of both, preceded by the Pelicans dropping turret-armed Warthogs. The dropships lifted off, and flew back to where they came from.

The cruiser started firing plasma bolts down on the city below. Energy beams came out of it, catching the city on fire. Suddenly, three _Paris_-class frigates came down from the clouds, directly above the bridge, and launched their Archer and Rapier missiles. " _Attention, any and all ground troops in London. This is the UNSC _Melbourne; _we have been given authorization to use MAC rounds in atmosphere. We're gonna retain high altitude so structural damage is limited. Out_,"the captain of the _Melbourne_ said. The three frigates fired as one, the rounds ripping into the cruisers hull. The three Hornets from earlier soared over, firing their rockets at the cruiser. The cruiser began moving, and started charging a plasma bombardment. Suddenly, four torpedoes tore into its top, shattering it. The ship exploded, and its wreckage fell into the water. " What the hell was that?! Did the Covenant just blow up their own ship?!" Sam exclaimed. Scott removed his helmet, and scratched his head, confused.


	9. Chapter 9: Betrayal

October 20th, 2552  
Grac 'Lasumee  
New Mombasa, Kenya  
Earth, Sol System

The smell of death hung in the air of the city. It was a scent that even the Grunts were a bit disgusted. The Sangheili leading the way were cautious, as this was the human homeworld. Even hours later, Grac could see the damage caused by the Prophet's jump. Windows were shattered, and debris littered the streets. It was quiet, a bit too quiet. The Sangheili on point halted, and raised his hand to stop the group. " I hear movement ahead," he muttered. He crouched and moved forward, a carbine at the ready. He pressed himself at a wall and peeked around it. A sniper bullet immediately ripped into him, making his head explode. Grac dashed forward, and turned on active camouflage. He moved forward, into the street, passing the dead Elite, and towards the human sniper. There were about twelve humans total, with one manning a deadly machine gun turret. Grac pressed on, moving ever so slowly and quietly. He got behind a column, and deactivated the camo. " A dozen defilers ahead. One on a sniper, and one on a turret. Grunts, move up and throw your grenades at them," he spoke into the radio.

The Elites parted, and the Grunts passed through. They charged grenades, and then jumped out, throwing them. The humans, off guard, opened up with the machine gun, killing two Grunts. The others fell back. Two grenades landed on the turret, and blew up, lodging the barrel in its gunners throat. Two humans nearby flew forward from the blasts. " Now, my brothers! Charge!" Grac yelled, turning from the column and shooting with his Plasma Rifle. The other Elites rushed out, firing everything. The sniper fired, killing a Minor. The other humans started shooting with their primitive projectile weapons. Two diverted their attention to Grac. " Holy shit! A Shipmaster!" one yelled, firing. " Reloading! Cover me, damn it!" the sniper yelled. The humans responded with a war cry. Grac rushed forward, and fired three shots from his rifle. The shots landed in one humans face, vaporizing it. Then, Grac jumped over the humans piece of cover. He tossed his rifle at the other human, who instinctively caught it. Grac then drew his sword and shoved it into the human with a grunt. The remaining seven humans divided their fire. By now the Sangheili had reached them, and the humans engaged with hand to hand. The humans were vicious, and none gave up. They all were killed by the Elites, who were twice their size. Soon, the sniper pulled out a pistol, and turned it on himself. A single shot rang out, and the fight was over. Grac itched his upper right mandible, and sighed.

" _Shipmaster? This is Bridgemaster 'Ingram. I'm sending down the remaining ground troops. You may want to get back to the landing zone and rally them_," Jalak said over the battlenet. " On our way, my friend," Grac responded. " Back to the ship, my brothers!" he yelled. The Elites turned, and followed their Shipmaster back through the streets. Getting back to the landing zone was easy, as they crushed all resistance. The _Undaunted_ dominated the airspace uncontested. Hundreds of soldiers were scattered around the area, gathering weapons and other supplies.

" Shipmaster!" a Major yelled, snapping to attention. Every trooper their went to full attention, and then formed ranks. Grac nodded, and said, " Good job, soldiers!" He stepped to the center of the square formed around him, and looked around. Four Hunters towered over the troops. Grac cleared his throat, and then spoke, " As you probably all know, _this _is the Heretic homeworld! And, being the defilers of the gods, we must cleanse them from this wretched world. And you shall be the first to do so!" The troops roared with pride. Suddenly, an assault carrier soared directly overhead, followed by six cruisers.

" This is the carrier _Justifying Means_. We are here to purge this dreaded city," the Shipmaster said over the radio. Grac nodded, and the troops cheered. Phantoms launched from its bay, and began dropping troops. The cruisers maintained high altitude, watching over the city. " Brigades A through G, cover the east side of the city. Brigades H through S, go west. The rest of you watch over the ship. We will move in five min.." Grac began, before a murmur came through the men. The rank behind Grac opened, and dozens of Brutes, led by a massive Chieftain, entered the formation.

" What is the meaning of this?!" Grac demanded, turning to face the Chieftain. " Truth's orders," the Chieftain responded. " How many of you are there?" Grac asked. " About one thousand, and more coming," he replied. Then, as if on queue, three carriers jumped in, and coming in behind them were dozens of other smaller ships. The Brutes filled spaces between the crisp Sangheili formation, on Grac's flanks. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see ten of his men being seized by Brutes. Dozens more were grabbed by the apes. The formation broke, with the Elites falling back, snatching up weapons.

Grac threw himself at the Chieftain, who caught him by the arm. " What are you doing?! We are Covenant!" Grac roared. The Chieftain chuckled, then let go of the Elite, and said, " Not anymore you're not." The Brutes raised their weapons, and Grac scrambled back, yelling, " Back on the ship! We are getting out of here!" The Grunts, Jackals, and many of the Elites rushed into the gravity lift, floating up to the cruiser. Grac jumped up, and then dodged a punch from the Chieftain. The Brutes opened fire, cutting down many Elites. They returned fire. Grac launched himself back, and flipped out his blade. The Chieftain held out his hammer, and was about to strike when the Shipmaster leaned forward, plunging his sword directly into the Brutes abdomen. The Brute fell over, and the Brutes glared at each other, stunned. " Fall back! Fall back!" Grac roared, with the sudden realization that the Brutes were about to go beserk. He jumped into the gravity lift, followed by the rest of his men.

Grac rushed to the bridge and yelled, " Close the damned lift!" Jalak, stunned, closed it. A squad of Brutes made it aboard, but were quickly killed by the Elites. A Captain surrendered, and was brought to the brig. Grac and Frat made their way to him, and the Captain grunted when they entered the room. " Tell me, why are you doing this? Are you a rogue division? The Prophets would surely not order an attack on me," Grac said. The Brute looked around, then spilled information, saying, " Brutes will soon become the Honor Guard. We will be the new right hand of the Prophets." Grac slouched back. _But the Elite Honor Guard are the best!_ Grac thought. He looked at Frat wide eyed. Frat looked at the ground, then looked at the Brute and roared, " Who? Who ordered this atrocity?!" The Brute crossed his arms, and said, " Truth. Truth and Mercy led the changing." Grac curled his hand into a fist. The guards in the room snarled. " I gave you what you wanted. Please, let me go," the Captain sighed. " We'll let you go, alright," Frat said. " Guards, take this abomination to the airlock. Throw this vermin out," Grac said to the guards. They nodded, and led the Brute out of the room.

The Elites across the ship fell silent as Grac and Frat passed on their way to the bridge. " The Brute is lying. The Prophet's would never do this," Grac said. Frat nodded in agreement. One Minor was about to speak, but stopped before saying anything. The doors to the bridge slid open, and the two stepped inside. " Shipmaster, the battlenet has been going wild ever since you left to interrogate the Brute," Jalak said when he saw them. " Open it up. Full sound," Grac said.

" My men and I are pinned on the coastal highway! Brutes have opened fire on us!"

" This is the carrier _Justifying Means_. We're under attack by Brute ships!"

Grac stepped up to the viewport and looked up at the three Elite cruisers above. They began moving down to engage the Brutes who were fighting the carrier when a colossal Brute assault carrier came through the clouds, slamming into all three, destroying them.

" A Brute carrier just took out one of our cruiser flotilla's! What's going on?!"

Grac yelled, " Get the engines hot! We're getting out of here!" Jalak typed into his station and yelled, " Done!" The _Undaunted_ began moving forward, while the _Justifying Means_ did so too. The carrier sped out of atmosphere, and escaped. Grac looked down as they passed over the city. Two Brute corvettes turned to face the _Undaunted_. Below the _Undaunted_, on the highway, two platoons of Sangheili gathered their dead and wounded while two Phantoms swooped in for extraction. The troops loaded on board, and the Phantoms began flying away, but a carrier came in and shot them down, killing all aboard. Grac closed his eyes, and then the cruiser rumbled forward, gaining speed. The remaining Sangheili ships followed at best speed._  
_

Entering space, Grac saw the humans still standing firm, but the Sangheili remnants passed the remains of many human and Covenant ships. " Engage the Brutes!" Grac yelled on all channels. The Elites fired their plasma torpedoes at full speed. The torpedoes sailed straight through the human line, who were sending their smaller ships to engage. " All ships, prepare for an emergency jump to my coordinates!" Grac shouted. The Brutes, who were at this point falling back behind Earth's moon, opened fire on the Sangheili fleet in actual space. The Sangheili who were not on the surface were caught off guard, and immediately soared into Earth's atmosphere. " Slipstream in three seconds," Jalak said. " Final torpedoes away!" Frat yelled. The _Undaunted_ tore open a hole in space, and flew into it. The other Elite ships followed suit. The Brutes jammed all Elite communications, for the real Schism would begin in a few weeks.

" How many ships came in with us?" Grac asked. Jalak made a few filler sounds, and then said, " Six, counting ours." Grac nodded. " And of the other ships?" he asked. " I cannot find a signal. Communications must be blocked," Jalak responded. Frat coughed, and then said, " Weapons are at full capacity. If we run into any Defilers or Heretic Brutes, we shall be ready." Grac stood up, and then the ship opened a hole in Slipspace, popping out. The other Elite ships came out. " Jalak, where are we?" Grac asked, looking at the planet ahead. " I already know, Shipmaster," Frat said.

The planet's surface was nothing but glass. Fire ravaged its landscape, and the shattered hulls of human ships haunted the space around it. On the surface, explosions carried out, but they weren't intentional. These were simply the bombs, ammunition, or other explosives the humans didn't use. No other Covenant ships were here, but their presence was still there through the destruction.

" Reach..," Grac 'Lasumee muttered, in awe.

The _Justifying Means_ popped in alongside the _Undaunted_, its size dwarfing the rest of the Sangheili fleet. " Where.. where are we?!" Shev 'Bogamee, their Shipmaster, asked. " Do you not remember?" Grac asked over comm. " Is.. is this Reach?!" Shev exclaimed. " Yes, my brother. Our greatest triumph only to foreshadow our greatest betrayal," Frat replied. " What do you mean, betrayal?" Shev asked. " The Hierarchs are planning on replacing our kind with the damned Brutes!" Grac yelled. " You mean we'll fall under their command?" Shev asked. " Yes," Grac responded.

The force of six ships moved closer to Reach. They passed the remains of a destroyed orbital station, with its hull still buckling. A volcano on the planets surface exploded, filling the air with flaming hot magma and ash. Lightning struck the surface, catching other things on fire. The space had an eerie peace, as there was no conflict, no life, nothing.

" Shipmaster! Slipspace ruptures, right behind us!" Jalak cried. Grac wheeled around and yelled, " How many and what classification?! Frat, when they come in, scan the crew!" " There are twenty one medium-tonnage vessels, in clusters of three," Jalak said. Frat looked at his screen and said, " They're Brutes, Grac." Grac nodded.

The _Justifying Means_ turned around, and charged torpedoes. The other Elite ships formed a pattern. Twenty cruisers and a carrier appeared in space with their shields down. The Sangheili fleet fired. The torpedoes slammed into the lead four cruisers, decimating them. The Brutes raised shields, and blindly charged the Elites. The Sangheili spread out, and fired again. The Brute torpedoes hit, destroying two cruisers. Two torpedoes dropped the _Undaunted'_s shields. " All power to shields!" Grac yelled. Shev's voice came over the comm, saying, " We've lost ten percent of our armor. Need assistance." The fleet moved to protect the carrier. A Brute cruiser swooped in to attack the main Elite force, and dropped its shields to get more speed. Suddenly, a bolt slammed through the side of the cruiser, tearing through its belly. The cruiser exploded. The Elites took advantage and fired another salvo. Grac looked out of the viewport to his right, and mixed feeling filled him.

A lone human frigate, with its engines barely running, closed distance on the two clashing forces. It fired another MAC round, ripping through another Brute ship. " Jalak?" Grac turned to face the officer. " Two hundred humans aboard. Eighty percent armor loss," he reported. The Elites return salvo shattered the carrier, and six more cruisers. The Brutes broke formation, and went as a free for all. The Sangheili fired again, this time along with pulse beams. The Brute fleet launched torpedoes. The pulse beams knocked out all of the torpedoes. The Elite torpedoes destroyed the remaining Brutes, save for one cruiser, with most of its hull boiled away. The human frigate fired again, literally ripping off the engines, letting it spin off into space.

" Hail humans, and take heed. This is the Sangheili carrier _Justifying Means_. We give you our gratitude for assisting us with the Brutes," Shev said, hailing the humans.

" The humans are opening a video link to all of our ships," Jalak said. " Open it," Grac said.

The screen turned on, and the face of a gritty, gray haired man came on, flanked by two naval officers. Cuts and bruises were visible on everyone in view, and they were obviously war-weary.

" What are you doing here, Split-Lips?" the human spoke.

" We have been betrayed by the Brutes and made a blind jump. How have you survived since the battle?" Shev asked.

" I had the crew go to cryo pods, and had the A.I. run the ship until about a week ago. You bastards never noticed," the captain said.

" Normally, I would have destroyed you the second I saw you, but you seem honorable. A true opponent with honor would assist their enemy. As you humans say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend," Grac spoke.

" Mhm," Shev said.

" What do you want, Elite?" the human asked.

" We? We demand nothing. As a token of our gratitude, pull your vessel into our hangar. We shall do our best to repair your ship, and will set you on your way to Earth," Shev offered.

The human went wild-eyed, and said, " You know where Earth is?! What the hell have you done?!"

" Our Prophet, Regret, accidentally found it. The Brutes came in, with hundreds of ships. We'll send you there, out of honor," Grac explained.

The human pondered for a second, and then agreed to the offer. The frigate came into the carrier's hangar, and was repaired in two hours. Its Slipspace drive was fixed, and the ship jumped.

" Shipmaster 'Bogamee, what was this about?" another Shipmaster asked. Shev understood the question, and then said, " The Brutes have betrayed our people. They have betrayed the Covenant. We may have to help the humans in order to remember that we are better." " Are you saying we should assist the humans in their defense?" the Shipmaster asked. " No. I hate them as much as the Hierarch's do. We need to make ourselves look better than the damn Brutes," Shev said. " Where to now?" Grac asked.

" Where else? We're going back to Earth," Shev responded.

The Sangheili ships opened holes in Slipspace, and began the journey to Earth again.


	10. Chapter 10: Breakthrough

October 22nd, 2552  
Captain Jon Graham  
UNSC _Achilles_  
Over Earth, Sol System

" Sir, I have a link open with Admiral Harper when you're ready," Lt. Phillips said, turning to face Jon. Jon gave a thumbs up, and the screen in the center of the bridge turned on, showing Admiral Harper. Harper was in his mid to late sixty's, and had distinct scars for battles before. " Captains of the Home Fleet, I have called this meeting to give a sitrep on the current situation. Currently, the Home Fleet stands at three hundred and forty six vessels from the initial fleet. My fleet, which jumped in four days ago, has some two hundred and three ships. From these numbers, we have taken a five percent casualty rate, but with that said, we lost Battlegroup Y, which had five cruisers, twenty four frigates, and four destroyers. The entire Battlegroup, save a destroyer and three frigates, was wiped out. On the ground, we are faring worse. At least ten major cities have fallen, and casualty estimates about thirty million. New Mombasa is currently being glassed by a Brute fleet. Speaking of the Brutes, I've received reports that they've fired on the Elites?" he spoke.

" Yes, sir. I saw it happen. At least twenty surviving Elite ships," Jon said. Many 'mhms' came through, agreeing with Jon. Admiral Harper nodded, and then said, " Gentlemen, this is a sign of good news, but the Elites are still attacking, only over North America." Another face came over the comm, showing the captain of the UNSC _Odin's Fury_, a frigate. " Admiral, my A.I. was able to hack into the Covenant battlenet, and we heard transmissions from the Elites. They think that the Brute's have gone rogue and broken from the Covenant," he said. Harper nodded, and then held up a finger, saying, " That is a secondary problem. Right now we need to focus on the battle at hand." A sailor walked up to Harper, and handed him a data pad, before giving it back. " Gentlemen, we need to keep doing what we're doing. At the rate we're going, we can wipe out the entire Covenant fleet if we wanted," Harper said. " Back to work," he concluded, closing the link.

Jon swiveled around in his chair to face his crew. Ensign Thomas leaned in closely to her station, analyzing everything on it and nodding her head as she read. Lt. Wilson rubbed his eyes, and pressed a few icons, zooming in on the weapons systems. Lieutenant Gyros was in conversation with a Marine officer. Lieutenant Phillips poured creamer into a cup of coffee, and took a drink, only to spit it out. He said, " Needs more sugar." He grabbed the sugar and put some into it and taking another drink, this time giving an 'mmm' of approval. Jon asked, " Are the Marines groundside?" Gyros shook her head, and said, " You had the ODSTs drop. The Marines are waiting on you for deployment." Jon nodded his head. " Have them prep for deployment. They have thirty minutes," Jon ordered. Gyros saluted and said, " Yes, sir!"

All across the ship, the untested Marines rushed to the armories, clicking on armor and slapping magazines into rifles. They suited up at lightning speed, about twelve minutes, but not nearly as quickly as the ODSTs could. The Marines formed into their squads in the Pelican bays, and officers called role. Jon went down to see the launch personally. He looked around the troops, who saluted when he entered the room, and spotted Sergeant Roberts and his squad. Jon strode over to them, and Roberts saluted with a smile. " Hello, Captain Graham," he said. " At ease, Sergeant. I haven't set where I'm deploying you, but I wanted you all ready. There's a good chance you'll be dropped in North America, but I'm not sure," Jon said quietly. Paulson looked at Jon and said, " So much for not having to be deployed, huh Sarge?" " Shut it," Roberts responded. Jon turned to make a speech.

" Marines! In a few minutes, I'll be deciding where you boys get dropped. Wherever it is, you will fight for Earth. You will fight for it, and if you're a colonial, the planet you're from. Alpha Platoon," Jon glanced at Roberts' platoon, and then continued, " fight for Reach. This is our final stand. This is where we live, and the Covenant die! Oorah!" he yelled.

"OORAH! OORAH! OORAH!" the Marines roared. Jon leaned in towards Roberts and said, " Be safe." Roberts nodded, and smiled. Jon went back up to the bridge, and said, " Plot a course for Los Angeles, California." Nicole typed, and then said, " Got it." The _Achilles_ moved forward, maneuvering through the UNSC fleet, and went over the massive city. " Tell the Marines to launch when ready," Jon said.

" Green light! Kick the doors!" a Pelican pilot yelled. The hangars opened up, and two dozen Pelican dropships soared out of the destroyer, an through the atmosphere. The Pelicans went through reentry, and came into view of the city. Six Covenant ships hung over the city, launching Phantoms and Banshees. Anti-air guns fired from the buildings, and Longsword fighters flew patterns over it. Energy beams shot out from an Elite ship, annihilating five Longswords. Much of the city was ablaze, but the Marines pressed forward. Landfall was made, and the Battle of Los Angeles began.

" Sir, I've got good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?" Lt. Phillips asked. " Bad news," Jon replied. " The Brute fleet has turned around. They're coming back to Earth," Phillips said. " The good news is that four cruisers and their escorts came in earlier and are gonna reinforce the fleet," he added. " What's the status of the MAC guns, Wilson?" Jon asked the weapons officer. " Full capability, sir. Archers are at 75% capacity," Wilson reported. " Thanks. Thomas, get us in the fleet," Jon ordered. The _Achilles_ turned, and flew into the massing human fleet. The Covenant fleet was visible, past the moon, swarming like sharks. They had little organization; more like a jumbled formation of ships.

The Super MAC's fired, and a hundred slugs went down range. The fleet fired next. The Super MAC's impacted first, shattering a hundred Covenant ships. The ship-based MAC's hit, dropping the shields of many Covenant ships. The _Williamsburg_ fired, and destroyed a Covenant destroyer. The Covenant responded with a wall of plasma torpedoes.

" Break formation!" Harper yelled.

The human fleet began splitting, as they tried to avoid the deadly projectiles. The torpedoes began hitting UNSC ships. The destroyers _Ronald Reagan _and _Tarawa_ melted away, with the cruiser _Colossus _going down with them. Thirteen frigates boiled, and their fractured skeletons were all that remained. The remaining torpedoes either passed the UNSC fleet and broke up in atmosphere, or hit slammed into the fleet. The cruiser _Orion_ was hit by three of the torpedoes, and lost its bottom six decks.

" Maintain loose formation! Bring all guns to bear, and fire at will!" Harper ordered.

" You heard the Admiral! Get the guns charged, and load fresh missiles. I want all fighters out, and send our Hornet squadrons down to the surface," Jon commanded. " Roger, sir!" Wilson yelled. " Fighters away," Washington said. The Longswords soared out of the _Achilles'_ hangars, and engaged Covenant Seraphs. The Super-MAC's fired another salvo, ripping apart four cruisers and a dozen destroyers. The bottom bays of the _Achilles_ opened, and forty eight AV-14 Hornet's dropped, and went into atmosphere.

" Sir, the Covies are launching boarding craft!" Thomas cried.

" Damn! How many and who are they going for?" Jon yelled.

Washington popped up and reported, " Thirty four boarding craft, and they are all heading for the carrier _Guadalcanal._" _  
_

Jon looked out towards the fleet, and saw the boarding craft heading straight for the large carrier.

" Engage them!" Jon ordered.

" With what?!" Wilson replied, fear in his voice.

" Archers, Pikemen, I don't care! Just get those damn ships dead!"

Wilson tapped a few buttons and then yelled, " Pikemen and Samurai Missiles away, sir!"

The Pikemen missile was an extremely fast missile, and it was tuned to hit the engines of ships to stop them, like pikemen would do to horses. The Samurai was like an Archer, only it had flechettes inside. The Samurai was only good against dropships and boarding craft.

The Pikemen hit first, eradicating the engines of all the boarding craft. The Samurai's approached, and exploded in the middle of the small flotilla. The spikes went every which way, tearing into the craft. A squadron of Longswords from the _Guadalcanal_ finished off the doomed ships.

" Attention _all_ ships, do not approach the Covenant fleet! An ONI prowler has let down some nuclear mines!" Harper yelled.

Jon turned back to face the battle, a small smile on his face. At Reach, nuclear mines annihilated a third of the Covenant fleet attacking. At every battle they were used, the Covenant took heavy losses. This smile turned into a look of horror when he saw the Covenant fleet fire energy beams at the minefield. One by one, they went off. Eventually, all the nuclear mines were gone.

" All ships, the field is down! I repeat, the field is gone!" Harper cried.

Jon pounded his fist into the chair, and then growled.

" Divert all power to MAC guns! Load the heavy slugs!" he roared.

" Sir? We haven't used the heavy slugs before," Wilson replied.

" Just follow my orders, Lieutenant!" he yelled.

Wilson went wide eyed, cocked his head to one side for a second, and then said, " Okay, Captain. It's done. Firing." The lights went off on the bridge, and the ship jolted heavily twice. The two heavy slugs went for a lone Covenant carrier. The first slug tore through the shields, and the second one ripped through the long neck of the ship, splitting it off from the main body.

" Sir, loading time will be at least two minutes," Wilson said.

" Damn, I guess we should go back to regular slugs," Jon responded.

" Already done, sir," Wilson smirked.

" Fire!"

The UNSC fleet fired, slamming into the creeping Covenant armada. As the two fleets approached each other, the UNSC formation became unknowingly tighter and tighter. The Covenant took advantage of this, and fired a barrage of plasma torpedoes. They hit dozens of human ships.

" Fuck! This is the UNSC _Griffon_, we've been hit, we've been... AGH!" the captain of the cruiser _Griffon_ yelled before being destroyed.

Four destroyers melted away, followed by the destruction of four ODP's. The carrier _Alesia _was hit in the rear, sending it into a port spin. It slammed into five frigates and two destroyers, who were all firing their main guns. The rounds ripped through the carrier, making it explode, taking the others with it. The Covenant fleet veered to the left, towards a gap in the human line. The Super MAC's opened up again, this time blindly firing into the Covenant fleet. All shots hit, but they impacted on smaller ships. A group of four frigates appeared from behind a cluster of platforms, and opened up on the Covenant. The _Marathon_-class cruisers turned, and fired. Mixing with the Super-MAC's, many Covenant ships were shattered.

" This is Orbital Defense Platform _Dublin_, the Covenant are breaking through!" a woman with a heavy Irish accent cried.

" I read you, _Dublin_. The destroyer _Apache_ is en route to your position," a fellow captain responded._  
_

" You're gonna need a helluva lot more ships than one destroyer, Captain," she replied.

The destroyer _Apache_ broke off from the human fleet, and along with four corvettes and two frigates, they closed on the station. Two CCS-class battlecruisers soared past it, firing light plasma bolts at it.

" Engaging the Covenant fleet, _Dublin_," the _Apache _captain said.

" Roger that," the female responded. The cluster of human ships fired, with the MAC's and 280mm guns going off. A small stream of Covenant ships passed the _Dublin_, and began entering Earth's atmosphere.

" _Dublin__? _This is Admiral Hood. You have authorization to fire at will on the Covenant ships in-atmosphere," Hood said over radio.

" But there are civilians down... damn it. Okay, firing," the female said. The _Dublin_ fired below it, sending a round straight through the top of a cruiser. The _Apache_'s battlegroup kept up the fire, destroying lighter Covenant ships.

" Christ! _Apache_, we have Covenant boarders on the station! Need reinforcement!" the lady cried.

" Roger that! I'll send Marines over to you! Hang in there!" the _Apache_'s pilot yelled. A dozen Pelicans dropped from its hangars, and soared to the station.

The _Achilles_ shook, and two MAC rounds shattered a Covenant corvette. The _Williamsburg_ from earlier pulled alongside the destroyer, and fired its main gun.

" Captain Graham? This is Captain Quincy, of the UNSC _Williamsburg_. We'll be your wingman for this battle," their captain said.

" Weren't we kind of already?" Jon chuckled.

" In a way, I guess," Quincy replied.

" This is the _Dublin_! We've repelled all boarders! I repeat, we've killed them a.." the woman was cut off when a massive light engulfed the station and the ships surrounding it. When the light disappeared, the station, and the _Apache _and its battlegroup, were all destroyed.

" Just like the _Athens_ and _Malta_," Phillips remarked.

" Shit. Sir, I have a feed from New York," he added.

" Patch it through," Jon said.

The battered face of a Marine popped up on screen, and blood covered his face.

"... made landfall! They're everywhere! The Covenant are over New York with a full squadron of ships! They got tanks, and fliers, and the ape things! Marquez, over there! We need immediate assistance! Fall back, men! Fall back to the vehicle bay!" he yelled, before he got knocked over. His helmet flew off, and rolled a few meters away, facing the Covenant. Brutes approached the Marines, when all of a sudden the lead one snapped his head and weapon to the right, and started firing. A large armored thing jumped into it, and kicked it to the ground. Two more of the armored things followed the lead one, and opened fire on the Brutes. Soon, the Brutes were in full retreat. The three turned and began walking to the Marines. **(QUEUE HALO CHORUS)** Above their right breast on their chest plates, each had a three digit number. The one on the left read 043, the one in the middle read 104, and the one on the right read 058.

" Spartans..," Jon whispered. The ground troops had a chance.


	11. Chapter 11: Counterattack

October 24th, 2552  
Staff Sergeant Scott Willis  
Outside London, England  
Earth, Sol System

" Hey man, could I get a hit of that?" McLean asked Corporal Michaels, who had just lit a cigarette. She took a drag of it, and then offered it to him. Rob gave a courtesy nod, and then placed it in his mouth. He took a deep inhale, and then let out the smoke. Scott paced back and forth, listening to the comms go ablaze. Sergeant McNamara and LCpl. Robertson stood at the window, looking down on the road and fields below. The remaining ODSTs were idle, checking their weapons or talking to each other. The Covenant had smashed most of the resistance in London, and were readying defenses for the inevitable human counterattack.

" _Cottonmouth Actual, this is Command, come in_," a gruff voice said.

" Go ahead, Command," Scott replied.

" _The Covenant have wiped out 95% of all our forces in London. As you've probably noticed, we've been massing forces all around the city. In fifteen minutes on the dot, we're going to retake the city_," Command said.

" What is our current force capacity for the battle?" Scott asked.

" _Three armored divisions, and for you Helljumpers, that's over five hundred tanks. We have the 3rd, 6th, and 1st Marine Divisions on standby, and the 8th through 12th Air Wings for support. This is a massive operation, and will utilize 90% of all U.K. forces_," Command explained.

" Three full armored divisions? Jesus," Sam remarked.

" What's our job?" Scott inquired.

" _Normally, we'd drop you in behind the lines, but we don't have that option right now. We're just going to send you in with the main force, in Warthogs. Oh, and by the way, over a thousand Warthogs are going to be involved. The Warthogs should be in the field next to the church you're in, or are en route via Pelican. Good luck to you, Command out._"

Scott turned and yelled, " Alright everyone, to the field! McNamara, do you see the Hogs?"

" Uh uh. Wait, yeah, I see what looks like a fleet of Pelicans en route, each carrying a Warthog," the sniper responded.

" Okay. Helljumpers!" Scott yelled, gaining the attention of the battered troopers.

" We're gonna get down to the field right down there, and are gonna hop in some Warthogs!" A low cheer came from his men. " Then, we take the fight to the Covenant, and take our city back!" Scott yelled. A war cry rose from his troops, who stood up, and filed down from the church tower to the outside. Scott and the snipers were the last ones out.

Scott turned to face London, and saw four huge Covenant battlecruisers hovering over the city, dominating its skyline. Six corvettes hung around them, protecting the capital ships. He turned, and followed the men into the field, where ten Warthogs sat, and the Pelicans landing within the main human force. The troopers hopped into the vehicles, and revved the engines. Scott, Rob, and Sam jumped into a Warthog, and drove forward, leading the ODSTs into the main force. Marines scrambled to get into their tanks, and air support lifted up into the air, waiting for the order to move.

" _All units. Tora! Tora! Tora!" _Command said.

Scott slammed down on the pedal, and moved with the rest of the force towards London. Dozens of plasma mortar shells appeared, raining down on the humans. A Troop Transport Warthog was hit, blowing it up. Three Falcons overhead and six Hornets opened up, ripping into the Covenant line. Sam opened up with the turret, ripping into the armor of Banshees. The radio crackled, and then music came through. Ride of the Valkyries. Even with all the death around him, Scott couldn't help but smile.

Rob pumped his fist in the air and cheered. One of the Covenant cruisers turned, and began moving towards the battle. The Covenant moved their vehicles back, moving them back into the city, and had their infantry form a line.

" Contact, ground!" McNamara yelled over the comms.

" Got it, McNamara," Private First Class Jeremy Thompson replied, swerving his Warthog to avoid a Wraith mortar. The tidal wave of human machines slammed into the first line of Covenant infantry, steamrolling them. The second Covenant line fired Fuel Rod Cannons and other explosives at them. Rhino armored artillery fired from behind the human line, impacting in the Covenant encampments. Scott hit three Grunts and a Brute, and slammed into a massive Hunter. Hornets soared over fired at Covenant forces, providing close air support for the ground forces.

The Warthogs continued forward, until the main Covenant camp came into view. Four Pelican dropships flew over, and descended into the camp, releasing squads of Marines. The cruiser fired a spread of torpedoes, hitting the ground. Suddenly, the distinct screech of a Slipspace rupture filled the air. Overhead, four UNSC frigates jumped in-atmosphere, and immediately fired their MAC guns. The cruiser adjusted its heading, and shot four torpedoes at each of the frigates. The frigates performed evasive maneuvers, dodging all of the deadly torpedoes.

Scott pulled the emergency brake, making the vehicle spin into the camp. Sam fired all around, hitting unwary Covenant troops. Four Marines stormed a makeshift tent, and fire spurted out from the entrance. The Marines came back out, and started shooting at the remaining Covenant troops. A grenade went off, throwing dust into the air, blanketing everything. A Brute appeared from the dust and closed in on Scott. Scott whipped out his Magnum and fired six shots into its face. He then pressed his foot down on the pedal, and crashed through a Covenant tent. Debris flew in all directions. Sam destroyed a Ghost and then opened up on a Wraith.

Four Warthogs flew through the camp following Scott. They all concentrated fire on the Wraith, which blew up quickly. Suddenly, two corvettes moved to the center of the city and charged their plasma weapons.

" _All forces, the Covenant are going to glass London! I repeat, they are glassing London!_" Command cried.

" Orders?!" Rick replied.

" _Continue the advance, but hold as you first get inside the city_," Command responded.

The corvettes fired their plasma weapons, causing explosions all throughout the city. The fire went extremely high, illuminating the landscape in broad daylight.

The four UNSC frigates gutted the cruiser, knocking it out of the sky. It dove towards the ground, crashing three kilometers away from Scott. Dust threw up everywhere, engulfing the force. Scott zoomed down the road, entering the city. The Rhino artillery shells impacted on the buildings around him, bringing down towering skyscrapers. The Warthogs behind him pulled into a convoy, and soon it entered a massive interchange. Suddenly, Covenant came from everywhere and opened up on the Warthogs. Two hogs were destroyed outright, while the rest scattered, firing on the aliens. The Scorpion tanks finally came in, and eradicated the Covenant forces.

" All clear!" a Marine yelled, popping up from an overpass. Seven Pelicans and three Albatross's landed, dropping off men and weapons. The Albatross's unloaded pieces of buildings, so the UNSC could set up a FOB.

" All Cottonmouth callsigns, follow me," Scott said.

His Warthog veered off, and eight others followed him. They pulled under the overpass, and hopped out.

" Where's the other Warthog?!" Scott asked, looking at his troopers. Corporal Michaels took off her helmet, scratched her head, and stepped forward.

" They got hit by a Wraith mortar. Never stood a chance," she said.

" Damn it," Scott muttered, turning around.

" Any orders, Sergeant?" Rob asked.

" Yeah. Just load up, and get armed. We move when the order comes," he said, looking up to the corvettes overhead.


End file.
